SocialMediaandChildren’sandAdolescents’Diets: ASystematicReviewoftheUnderlyingSocialand PhysiologicalMechanisms

Abstract

Theassociationbetweensocialmedia(SM)andchildren’sandadolescents’dietispoorlyunderstood.Thissystematicliteraturereviewaimstoexplore theroleofSMinchildren’sandadolescents’dietsandrelatedbehaviors,consideringalsotheunderlyingmechanisms.WesearchedMedline,Scopus, andCINAHL(2008–December2021)forstudiesassessingtherelationofSMexposurewithfoodintake,foodpreference,dietarybehaviors,andthe underlyingmechanisms(e.g.,brainactivationtodigitalfoodimages—asproxyforSMfoodimages)amonghealthychildrenandadolescentsaged 2–18y.Atotalof35articleswereincluded.Of4studies,1foundthatexposuretopeers’videosonhealthyeating,butnotSMinfluencers’,increased vegetableintake.MoststudiesreportedthatSMwasassociatedwithskippingbreakfast,increasedintakeofunhealthysnacksandsugar-sweetened beverages, and lower fruit and vegetable intake, independent of age. Children and adolescents exposed to unhealthy compared with healthy digitalfoodimagesshowedincreasedbrainresponseinreward-andattention-relatedregions.Themechanismsunderpinningtheabovementioned associations were 1) physiological (appetitive state, increased neural response to portion size and energy density of food depicted) and 2) social (foodadvertisingviaSMinfluencersandpeers).SMexposureleadstounfavorableeatingpatternsbothinchildrenandadolescents.Theidentified mechanisms may help tailor future health interventions. Downregulating SM advertising and limiting SM exposure to children and adolescents may improve food intake and subsequent health outcomes